New York City is called "The Big Apple" because the nickname originated in the 1920s from horse racing culture. John J. Fitz Gerald, a sportswriter for the New York Morning Telegraph, used the term to refer to New York City's racetracks as "the big apple," symbolizing the top prize or the ultimate goal in horse racing. The phrase came to signify New York as the place of opportunity and success. It was later popularized in the jazz scene of the 1930s, where it also came to represent New York City's cultural prominence, particularly Harlem's jazz culture. The nickname was revived and promoted by a tourism campaign in the 1970s during a difficult economic period for the city, which helped cement "The Big Apple" as a beloved and enduring moniker for New York City.
The "apple" symbolizes a desirable reward or prize, and the "big" part emphasizes New York as the biggest, most important city—a place of ambition, opportunity, and cultural richness.
